For those of you who have not started their Thanksgiving prep, I put together this last minute checklist for just a few of the details involved with getting a great meal on the table this holiday. There are so many things to think about so please feel free to add them in the comments section. I’m sure everyone will appreciate all the help they can get. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving. - RG

Take the turkey out of the refrigerator

• At least 30-60 minutes out of the refrigerator before roasting. If you’re going to use the ice pack trick made famous by Harold McGee, leave them on for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Forget to completely defrost your turkey?

• Don’t panic! If you have a partially frozen bird, you can still defrost it much faster than leaving it in the refrigerator. A couple of things to remember. Immerse the turkey in the plastic wrapping in ice cold water and be sure to change the water and add more ice water every thirty minutes to avoid dangerous bacteria from developing . You might think it will go faster using hot water, but this is a bad idea and a huge risk. Please avoid.  And if you use the cold water method, it’s important to cook the turkey as soon as it thaws.

Have Your Ingredients Ready to Cook or Mise en Place

• Before even thinking about starting to cook, and after you have re-read your recipe at least twice, make sure to get your mise en place. This means getting all of your ingredients on the counter within reach, measured correctly and equipment needed plugged in and ready to go. This will make your day go so much more smoothly, trust me.

Look over your menu

• Going over your menu and each recipe is essential on Thanksgiving morning. Read your recipes over at least twice! Figure out how long each recipe is going to take, allowing time for preparation, cooking, and if needed, resting. Figure out which platters and plates you will need for each dish and get those organized.

Set the table

• I know any other night I’m setting the table right before serving, but this is a once-a-year occasion, and a big one at that. Therefore, set your table in the morning and not only will you be more organized- meaning less chaos later, but it will also create a festive atmosphere. Make sure you have enough place settings and chairs for everyone coming, and also be prepared for that one guest that always brings his mother-in-law. If you’re using flowers or any type of decoration, make sure you have what you need to make the table look its best.

Get your pans ready

• Do you have a big enough pan for your large bird? What about a rack to place the turkey on? I particularly like V-racks, they are definitely worth investing in. You may have one that you use for chicken, but is yours big enough for your turkey?

Get all of your equipment ready

• Do you have all of your utensils for basting ready? Are your thermometer’s ready and charged? Remember, those remote or instant read thermometers need new batteries every now and then. You don’t want it dying on you while you’re roasting your turkey!

Wine time!

• Have you decided which wine you are going to serve? If not, check out your collection and pick out one. Make sure if you choose white to plan time to chill it before the meal. If you’re going with red, find time to let it breathe. You want to look for a wine that is a little lighter than you would typically drink so that you do not overpower the turkey. Saying that I always recommend choosing a wine that you really enjoy. You don’t always have to drink white wine with turkey or red wine with steak. Some good options for turkey are: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Beaujolias Nouveau or Pinot Grigio. If you do choose a Chardonnay, I would choose one that is not too oaky, as this could overpower your food.

Get cooking!

• Remember a turkey usually needs 12-15 minutes per pound when roasting at 350 degrees F. This number increases if you are stuffing your bird. These numbers, however, are just estimates and the most accurate way to tell when your turkey is done is by checking the temperature. That’s why investing in a good thermometer is essential. Do not rely on those pop-up thermometers, as those pop up when the turkey is already done and too dry! Take your turkey out of the oven when it has reached between 150-160 degrees F in the breast meat, or 160-165 degrees F in the thigh. While resting the temperatures will continue to rise another 5 – 10 degrees F. The USDA recommends “A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.”  In my opinion the breast meat will be dry at this temperature but you should know what they recommend and cook accordingly.

• For your side dishes, remember to plan them out accordingly so everything is hot on the table! If you make them midday or a few hours before eating, you can always reheat them in the oven or microwave while your turkey is resting. If you’re serving salad, do not dress until near the time you will be eating, otherwise you’ll have soggy lettuce on your hands.

Rest your turkey!

• It is so important that you let the bird rest after taking it out of the oven. Let it rest for AT LEAST 30 minutes before carving. This allows the heat to transfer throughout the meat and let the juices get soaked throughout the bird.

Most Important, have a very happy & safe Thanksgiving and remember to thank someone today who might not be expecting it.

Yesterday I was sitting here listening to Harold McGee on NPR’s “Radio Times” with Marty Moss-Coane promoting his new cookbook. Harold is a food scientist and author, with a regular column titled “The Curious Cook” in the New York Times. On the radio show this morning, Harold gave great tips for preparing your Thanksgiving turkey.

Well known for his kitchen classic “On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen,” Harold McGee has come out with a new book titled “Keys to Good Cooking: A Guide to Making the Best of Foods and Recipes.”

I’m a big fan of Harold’s first book, referring it often, so I’m sure this new one will be no different. “Keys to Good Cooking” is built to use in combination with recipes or cookbooks.

This book focuses more on culinary tricks that are not well known, methods of cooking as well as detailed descriptions of foods. Chapters include: Kitchen Tools, Heat and Heating Appliances, Cooking Methods and more. The book is available in hardcover as well as Kindle version and an iPad version through iBooks.

To Brine or Not to Brine

I was happily surprised to hear some of Harold McGee’s Turkey Tips, so I decided to share them with you. I have read and always believed that brining a turkey was a good idea. Harold agrees that brining a turkey will definitely make the meat more moist, but he still does not brine. Not only can it make the bird too salty he says, but it will especially make the drippings used in the gravy too salty. Then when you reduce the drippings, it will be way too salty.

How to Prevent Over Cooking the Breast Meat

So how does Harold recommend getting that perfectly juicy bird? Chill the breast meat BEFORE putting it into the oven. Harold recommends using ice packs to chill down the breast meat for 15 to 20 minutes while the rest of the bird comes to room temperature before putting the turkey into the oven and after it has thawed in the refrigerator. The idea behind this method is that there will be a 8-12 degree difference between the breast meat and the dark meat in the thighs and both meats will be able to reach their desired temperatures at the same time.

For the more delicate white meat, the desired temperature is 155 to 160 degrees F, and the tougher dark meat between 165-170 degrees F. Therefore, by starting to roast the breast meat colder than the dark meat, both will reach these desired temperatures at the same time and you will not overcook your bird. This also means a more juicy bird.

The team over at the Kendall Jackson kitchen decided to test out this theory by cooking two Turkeys - one with chilled breast meat and one without. They found McGee’s method to work and produce juicier breast meat. You can read more about their experiment here.

Photo from Kendall Jackson Winery

To Stuff or Not to Stuff

His second great tip covered whether or not to stuff the bird before roasting. Harold recommends skipping out on stuffing the turkey because it is only a recipe for overcooking the bird. In order for the stuffing to be safe to eat, it needs to reach a temperature of 165 degrees F, which means the outer portions of meat will most likely rise above this temperature, leading to drier and overcooked meat.

Use a Scale Not a Measuring Cup

Harold’s third tip was about measuring ingredients. He recommends that you use a scale rather than measuring cups or spoons for measuring out many ingredients, therefore measuring their weight rather than their volume.

For example, Harold brought up the different weights of salts. Some table salts can weigh twice as much as kosher salts, which we wouldn’t know if we measured them out in a tablespoon. This can lead to over-salting foods if they aren’t measured out properly. Obviously, for liquids you would still use measuring cups.

To Baste or Not to Baste

Harold’s fourth tip regards basting. He mentioned that he enjoys basting his turkey because it slows the cooking time of the bird. You may be thinking- MORE time in the oven? But it actually makes sense. By basting throughout the cooking time, you can keep checking the temperature of your turkey, ensuring that you don’t overcook it. You don’t want to put all of that effort into cooking the turkey and come out with dry breast meat. However, there is one trade off to basting: this method usually leads to less of a crispy skin.

Taking the Bird’s Temperature

His last tip on the radio show that I wanted to mention had to do with instant read thermometers. For Thanksgiving, it’s essential to have a good instant thermometer so you can check on the bird without having to wait very long for a reading.

Many thermometers on the market say they are instant read, but can take up to a minute to find the actual temperature. While waiting for your reading you are standing there with the oven door open. Therefore, spending a little extra on a good thermometer is worth it, and Harold recommends buying one with a skinny probe that can read temperatures almost instantly and will not leave a big hole in your food.

I recently picked up a Super-Fast Thermapen at Amazon. It is expensive but by far the fastest instant thermometer I could find on the market and has the best reviews. I’m not sure how they called my other thermometers instant when they took 20 to 30 seconds to get an accurate reading. The Thermapen takes only 3 seconds.

You can also buy a meat thermometer with an external digital reader. They even make them with remotes so you can keep track of your bird’s temp while setting the table or watching football. According to Cooks Illustrated, the Taylor Wireless Thermometer with Remote Pager Plus Timer is their number 1 pick and one worth checking out.

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Thanksgiving Tips & Recipes

The History of Thanksgiving

Let’s Talk Turkey

Thanksgiving is probably the busiest time of the year for the Reluctant Gourmet. I have been providing Thanksgiving culinary tips, recipes and techniques since 1997, and this year is no different. With Thanksgiving only a week away, there’s lots of work to be done.

Since my Thanksgiving pages have been well received in the past, this year I decided to combine all of my Thanksgiving relevant information onto one, organized Thanksgiving Guide. You will be able to find all of the information you need to cook a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner all on one page. I hope this Thanksgiving Guide will be a great resource to all of you during the biggest culinary celebration of the year—Thanksgiving.

Do you know how to make delicious turkey gravy from the pan the bird cooks in? Or how to properly brine a turkey for wonderfully juicy meat? Or how to make the perfect mashed potatoes to your liking? This year’s Thanksgiving Guide has all of these answers and much more. From years of trial and error, I’ve found the best ways to prepare my Thanksgiving meal, and I hope to share that with you. From light appetizers to delectable desserts, you will find all the Thanksgiving fixings on my Thanksgiving Guide.

I know how stressful Thanksgiving can be for a home cook. Being organized and prepared is the best method for tackling this day of cooking. To help you stay prepared, the Thanksgiving Guide contains several organized sections, ensuring that you have time to prepare the menu, plan out the cooking and have a breezy Thanksgiving Day.

Sections include: Appetizers, Salad, Entrée (The Bird), Turkey Tips, Gravy, Side Dishes, Desserts and Leftovers.

Appetizers include a Pumpkin soup recipe as well as some purees. The salad section features seasonal French pears, mesclun, toasted pine nuts and Gorgonzola. The entrée section includes the perfect roasted turkey recipe as well as the grilled turkey on the barbecue recipe.

The largest section, the turkey tips, are not to be missed. From brining to roasting to stuffing, these turkey tips are necessary for any home cook taking on this feast. The gravy section includes two recipes, both very easy to make and delicious.

What’s Thanksgiving without the side dishes?

I know they’re my favorite part of the meal. The side dishes section includes recipes for everything you’ll need on the table, from the cranberry sauce to the perfect mashed potatoes. The dessert section features recipes from the classic pumpkin pie to a decadent Tiramisu.

The final section, Leftovers, includes recipes for all of your leftover Thanksgiving turkey. Tired of leftover turkey sandwiches? Try a turkey soup with winter veggies or my personal favorite, the famous Deer Valley turkey chili.

I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all achieve culinary success this holiday season. You can find my Thanksgiving Guide here.